‘MS Dhoni is like my father’ – Matheesha Pathirana expresses gratitude to former CSK captain

Matheesha Pathirana has come a long way since being roped in by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as a mid-season replacement for the injured Adam Milne during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. He was just 19 years old at that time. Three years later, he is CSK’s most reliable pacer in the death overs, with his ability to bowl toe-crushing yorkers at pace consistently.

The Men in Yellow retained the Sri Lankan seamer ahead of the IPL 2025 mega-auction for a whopping INR 13 crore. He has started the 18th edition of the IPL by picking up two wickets each in the first two games.

On Friday, April 4, CSK posted a documentary on its official social media handle in which Pathirana’s mother expressed her gratitude to the legendary MS Dhoni, who has played an influential role in the right-arm pacer’s development as a cricketer.

“No words about Dhoni. Really [like] god. Matheesha, how he respects [his] father, like that [he shows] respect to Dhoni,” Pathirana’s mother said in the video.

Pathirana spoke about the mentorship role played by Dhoni and the guidance he got from him. The 22-year-old described the former India captain as his “cricketing father”.

“Dhoni is like my father, because of the support and the mentorship and the guidance he is giving me when I’m in CSK,” Pathirana said. “It’s very similar to what my father did in my home. That’s why I consider Dhoni my cricketing father.”

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Pathirana also recalled his first interaction with Dhoni after he had joined the Super Kings setup. The wicketkeeper-batter had said, “Hi, Mali. How are you?” The “Mali” comes from Pathirana’s cricketing nickname – “Baby Malinga” – since he had modelled his bowling action on Sri Lankan legend Lasith Malinga.

“It [Mali] is very familiar to me, because when we are in Sri Lanka, Mali means the younger brother,” Pathirana said. “So that kind of legend calls me ‘Mali’, wow, this is so good. That’s so good,” Pathirana stated.

Chennai won their first match against Mumbai Indians in IPL 2025 before suffering back-to-back defeats against Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Rajasthan Royals. The Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side will return to action on Saturday, April 5, as they take on Delhi Capitals at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

Disclaimer: The information presented in this news article is based on the author’s insights, analysis, and perspective. Readers are encouraged to evaluate the details thoughtfully and draw their own conclusions.

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